How much do vendors actually make at craft fairs on average?
Most craft fair vendors see daily sales anywhere from about $200 to $2,000, but the typical take-home after fees and materials often lands closer to $100 to $700, so the "average" only makes sense once you track your real costs.
The Narrative (Left Column)
The Empathy
After a long day behind the table, the cash box feels reassuring, but the questions still stack up. Was this a "good" fair or just a lucky few sales? The booth fee hit hard, the supply bins look low, and you're trying to remember how many hours you were on your feet. It's easy to hear other vendors tossing out big numbers and wonder if you're the only one not hitting them.
The Education
The most useful benchmark is a range, not a single number. Across local craft fairs, vendors commonly report gross sales around $200 to $600 at small community events, $700 to $1,800 at solid weekend markets, and $2,000+ at high-traffic festivals. But booth fees ($25 to $200+), card processing (2% to 4%), and materials (often 30% to 50% of price) can cut that down fast. That's why take-home profit per day typically ends up closer to $100 to $700 depending on your price point and costs. A quick way to sanity-check is to set a break-even target: add your booth fee, travel, packaging, and material costs, then compare that total to expected sales before you count any profit.
The Solution
Build a simple event snapshot: record gross sales, total fees, material costs, and hours worked the same day the show ends. Over three to five events, you'll see your real average and what size fair fits your product mix. When you track net profit per hour (not just total sales), you can decide which markets are worth repeating, which need higher pricing, and when it's time to target larger shows with higher spenders.
Stop Guessing. Start Growing.
Stop waiting until the end of the month to see if you made money. Get instant clarity on every sale, even without Wi-Fi.
